Android rush

Firefox Seems to be way ahead of the game as they seem to add new features on the new firefox.

The latest version of Firefox (22) is full of big new features. Most notably, the latest update adds support for 3D gaming (Care of Epic Games), for video and voice calls as well as file sharing "without the need to install additional software or use third-party plugins," and for a new version of JavaScript that Mozilla's calling, "supercharged." Mozilla's even got a 3D game for you to play called BananaBread, so you may put the company's claims through the wringer.
Should that not be enough for you diehard Firefox devotees, there's also a thrilling update that'll show download progress on OS X directly in the Dock icon. Take a breath and a seat, and maybe download the latest Firefox build right here when you've cooled down.

Today, Facebook announced a security bug that compromised the personal account information of six million users. In a post on the Facebook Security page, the site's White Hat team explained that some of the information the site uses to deliver friend recommendations was "inadvertently stored with people's contact information as part of their account on Facebook." When users downloaded an archive of their account via the DYI (download your information) tool, some were apparently given access to additional contact info for friends and even friends of friends. The post continues:

"We've concluded that approximately 6 million Facebook users had email addresses or telephone numbers shared. There were other email addresses or telephone numbers included in the downloads, but they were not connected to any Facebook users or even names of individuals. For almost all of the email addresses or telephone numbers impacted, each individual email address or telephone number was only included in a download once or twice. This means, in almost all cases, an email address or telephone number was only exposed to one person. Additionally, no other types of personal or financial information were included and only people on Facebook – not developers or advertisers – have access to the DYI tool."

Facebook says it's temporarily disabled the DYI tool to fix the breach.

To all X-box lovers,Good times are here as Microsoft removes complacency rule on the new X-box one

Microsoft's next game console, the Xbox One, is perhaps best known for its complex used game system and once-per-24-hour online check-in requirement. Today, Microsoft is rolling back those policies, and the company took to its Xbox blog to explain. "I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360," Xbox head Don Mattrick writes. He then states:

    "An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

    Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360."

Mattrick further explains that this is a direct response to gamer outcry. "Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One," he says. Further, he confirms that Xbox One games will be region-free, and that disc-based games will have to be kept in the disc tray rather than ripped to the console and played digitally (a previously touted Xbox One feature).

Though the One's down a couple features -- Mattrick specifically says, "These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One" -- it sounds like gamers won this round.

By Jim Finkle

The best hackers are heavily recruited by the military, intelligence agencies and big corporations, who lure them with scholarships and high-paying jobs.

Microsoft is also competing for the attention of the top hacking talent on a growing global gray market, where information about vulnerabilities is sold to criminals as well as governments that use it in military and intelligence operations. Bounties start at $50,000 for tools that enable attackers to break into computers, even when they are protected by up-to-date security software.

In the industry, exploits of such vulnerabilities are called "zero-days," because a targeted software maker has had zero days' notice to fix the hole when the malicious software is eventually discovered. (See SPECIAL REPORT: http://link.reuters.

Mike Reavey, senior director with the Microsoft Security Response Center, declined in an interview to talk about the "zero day" market for vulnerabilities in Windows products, saying the company was seeking to encourage hackers to use their skills in helpful ways.

"It's difficult to comment on the dark side," he said. "The intention of these (bounty) programs is to incentivize good behavior."

Reavey said he hoped Microsoft's new program would woo some candidates away from an annual contest known as Pwn2Own (pronounced "pown to own"), which has become a key venue for elite hackers to disclose major security flaws in software.

The latest Pwn2Own, which was held in Vancouver in March and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard Co, paid out nearly $480,000 in prize money, according to HP's website.

Hackers won the competition by identifying new ways to "pwn," or take ownership of, browsers from Microsoft, Firefox and Google Inc, Oracle Corp's Java and Adobe System Inc's Flash and Reader software.

Some other big technology firms already offer similar programs. Google has handed out $1.7 million in 3 years, including prizes as big as $60,000. Facebook Inc said it has paid out $500,000 to $1 million since it began its program two years ago. Adobe does not offer bounties, though it brings in hackers as temporary consultants to help fix problems that they identify.

Microsoft is also running a one-month contest, starting July 26, offering bounties of up to $11,000 to hackers who find bugs in the trial version of its new Internet Explorer 11 browser, which will be in preview release.